How Long Does It Take To Grow Potatoes? The Truth About The Growth Of Potatoes

Potato is one of the cheapest vegetable available in the market. Potato can be used as a base of various side dishes and main dishes. Potatoes can also be used for making sweets and bread recipes. But did you ever wonder how long does it take to grow potatoes? If you wish to know more about this topic, then read the article below.

How Long Does It Take To Grow Potatoes?

To answer the question of how long do potatoes take to grow, you need to know that the time taken by the potatoes to grow is actually dependent on the seeds of potatoes that have been seeded. There are actually 3 different common varieties of potatoes and every single one of them has a separate maturation time.

Earlies take only 80 days and the midseason variety takes about 100 days to get matured. The midseason variety is the ideal one to be planted in case you live in a region that is warm. If you talk about the late variety of potatoes, then it takes around 110 days to be fully grown. They are ideal to be grown during the warm climates and can also be stored for a long duration.

Variety of Potatoes

There are higher than 200 different varieties (species) of potatoes. But most commonly, they can be divided into 4 categories. These are generally bifurcated on the basis of the time that they require for harvesting. Such potato varieties are mentioned here in detail.

Early varieties

They get harvested within a period of less than 90 days. Plus, these varieties can be planted in any garden. Some of the prominent choices in the early varieties are King Harry, Red Norland, Caribe, and Irish Cobbler.

Mid-season varieties

This variety takes around 100 days or more than 100 days to get matured. The most prominent choice under this variety is Yukon Gold. Another popular variety is Red LaSoda. This variety is ideal to be produced during a warm climate and you can get a huge output by growing it in warm weather.

Late Varieties

This variety takes more than 110 days to grow and get matured. It may take a lot of time in getting matured but the wait is totally worth it as the longer it takes, larger is the yield. The late variety is perfect for storage. The prominent choices under this category include Kennebec, Katahdin, and Butte.

Fingerling potatoes (elongated)

This variety is the perfect choice if you wish to sell it in the market of the farmers. It is necessary to know that this variety is not covered under the early varieties but its growth can be quickened if the potato seeds are pre-sprouted prior to planting.

When To Plant Potatoes?

The perfect time for planting the potatoes is 2 weeks after the last spring frost. It can be planted earlier when the soil is ready for planting but there is a chance that the crops can get spoiled if they are planted in the wet soil.

However, if the spring comes late, it is possible to plant the potatoes in April. There are some people who plant potatoes during the month of June, especially in potato towers or containers.

How Should You Plant Potatoes?

Take a shovel that is round and pointy; dig a pit that has a depth of 8 inches and width of 6 inches. Taper the 3 inches wide bottom.

Growing of potatoes is best done by forming rows. The space between the rows must be 3 feet.

Either mix it in organic compost or rotted manure in the trench’s bottom prior to planting.

Now, put the potato seed in the trench, cut the sides, every 12-14 inches and then cover it with soil of 4 inches.

The perfect starters are the potatoes that have eyes protrude. Take a sharp paring and clean knife and cut a potato into pieces with a size as a golf ball that have at least 2 eyes.

If you are cutting potatoes into pieces for the purpose of planting them, then you must do it two days before planting it. By doing so, potatoes get healed quickly by forming the protective layer over the portion that is cut. Moreover, it will help in improving rot resistance and moisture retention.

Once 16 days after planting have passed and sprouts begin to appear, take a hoe and fill the trench by adding 4 more inches of soil, and let plant’s upper part remain exposed. Repeat this process for the next few weeks allowing the soil to form up a conical shape above the ground. This entire process is known as hilling.

Once the potato plant starts coming out, put organic mulch in the middle of the row, which will help in cooling the soil, controlling weeds, and conserve moisture.

How Should You Grow Potatoes?

Here is a guide on how do you grow potatoes:

You should never allow sunlight to fall on tuber’s surface. They generally grow below the soil’s surface. If the sunlight falls upon its surface, then it will turn green.

Hilling must be done during the morning time, as plants are tallest during this time of the day. During the afternoon time, the plant starts bending in the downwards direction because of the heat.

While growing plants, maintaining the moisture is very significant, particularly during the period when the sprouts start appearing and they start blossoming. Minimum 2 inches of water is required by the plants every week. If you water them a lot at the time of planting the potato seeds and don’t water them sufficiently when the potatoes start forming up, then the tuber can get adversely affected.

The final hilling is required to be done one week prior to when the potato plant starts blooming that is the time when the height of the potato plant is 6 inches. Use the hoe for digging out the dirt that is surrounding the plant’s base for supporting the plant and covering the tubers.

Hilling gives protection to the potatoes so that they don’t get sunburned. If the hilling is not done, then the potatoes will turn green in color and also form up a chemical, namely Solanine. Solanine is poisonous in nature and also makes the potato’s taste bitter.

You can use the grow bags (ANPHSIN bags or 247Garden bags) which are made of durable material, enable roots to breathe and grow healthy. These bags can undoubtedly be utilized for a few seasons and not consume up much room when storing.

In addition, you can also grow potatoes without the soil. If you wish to know how potatoes can be grown without soil, then you can have a look at this video.

Top 3 Best LED Grow Lights

LED grow light is the best choice for growing potatoes indoor. It is not only easy to set up but also saves energy and keeps the environment cooler. Below is the comparison table of top 3 best LED grow light which will help you quickly make the perfect choice.

How Many Potatoes Per Plant?

You must be wondering how many potatoes can be grown in a plant but the answer to this question differs depending on the potato variety. Late, mid-season and early potatoes are grown in different quantities. The yield that you are going to get is also going to vary depending on the growing season. Nevertheless, if you talk about average, then per plant around 10 potatoes can be grown.

If you keep the area free from the weeds and make sure that all your requirements are met, then around 50 pounds of potatoes can be grown by planting 0.907 kgs of potato seeds. On every plant, 6 regular-sized potatoes can be grown. You can find fresh seeds sprouted and ready to grow at the grocery stores.

Some Causes of Delayed Growth In Potatoes

It is not just about the time taken in the growth of the potatoes. It is also important for you to know the reasons behind the delay in the growth of the potatoes. The delay can take place in the time period between planting and harvesting of potatoes. Factors leading to such delay are:

Too cold, wet, or dry soil

The ideal soil for the growth of the potatoes must be well-drained. The soil condition can be improved by adding the organic matter prior to planting the potatoes.

Freshly cut seed potatoes

One of the reasons for the delay in the growth of potatoes is planting freshly cut seeds as they get dehydrated quickly and take a lot of time in healing. As a result, the growth of the potato stops. The basic reason behind this problem is that the freshly cut pieces of potatoes require a soil temperature that falls between 50 and 65 F, high levels of humidity, and oxygen so as to help itself in healing properly.

If these conditions are not offered by the soil, you need to properly cure the seed potatoes and then plant them. But in case the soil that is being used for potato harvesting, does meet the above mentioned conditions, then you should plant the seed potatoes right after cutting them.

Diseases

The growth of a potato gets affected because of diseases and pests. Hence, be aware of the aphids, potato scab, leafhoppers, and flea beetles. In order to fight with such bugs and beetles, you must use natural pesticides.

When Should Potatoes Be Harvested?

If you are planning on storing the potatoes during the winter season, then you must leave it to the weather and plant to decide the time for harvesting. The tops of the vine will begin to die, which indicates the perfect time for harvesting the potato plant.

The soil temperature and air are the important factors determining the time for digging the potatoes. You are required to take out the potatoes prior to hard frosting it. Potatoes are capable of handling the light frosts but when it comes to hard frost, then it can actually kill the plant.

As far as it is concerned about the soil temperature, then it has to be more than 45 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if it does not frost, soil temperature is one of the important things that must be considered when you wish to know the right time for harvesting the potatoes. You can also look at this video to know the right time for harvesting the potatoes.

How To Harvest Potatoes?

Harvesting potatoes is an interesting thing to do. You can use a spading fork or a shovel. A spading fork is considered as the best tool when it comes to harvesting. Use the fork and light the plant from the corners. Now, take out what you require and put the plant back in the position it was in.

Prior to harvesting the potatoes, you must make sure that the potatoes are firmly attached and have thick skins. Generally, the skin of the potatoes does not rub off that easily but if something like that happens, then that means the potatoes are required to be kept in the ground a little longer.

If you think that they are ready, then you must start digging. If you use a shovel, then the hill formed will be removed. After that, pulling out the tubers becomes very easy.

Ensure that there isn’t any soil sticking to the potatoes. Next, you need to store these potatoes in a dark, slightly humid, and a cool place. The best temperature for storing the potatoes is 3 to 4 degree Celsius or 38 to 40°F.

Also, make sure that you do not keep the potatoes with apples since apples emit ethylene gas that causes the potatoes to get spoiled. You should never store the potatoes in a refrigerator. Whether you buy potatoes from a store or dig them yourself, you should never wash them prior to storing them. Washing and storing them for future use decreases the storage life of potatoes.

Conclusion

So, this was all about how long does it take to grow potatoes and other important things like how to plant potatoes, when to plant potatoes, when to harvest potatoes and how to harvest potatoes. If you like this article, then don’t forget to share it on your social media accounts. If you have any query or suggestion, then you can give them in the comments below.

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